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Sunday, October 19, 2014

Right brain or left brain

cj Sez: As the year's end races closer and closer, I find that keeping on track with meeting my appointments is getting harder and harder. I could alibi that I've bitten off more than I can chew in terms of volunteering in the midst of necessary stuff, but that'd be an untruth. The truth is, I need to pay better attention and keep a better appointment calendar, as in just one. Right now, I have at least two and occasionally three.

I'll note an appointment (or paperclip a card) on the calendar hanging on the kitchen door and then forget to write it in my planner . . . or vice versa. That wouldn't be much of a problem if I would just check both places every morning . . . which, of course, I don't. The third "occasional calendar" I mentioned is simply the collection of all those little scraps of paper and back-of-business-card notes that I shove into my jeans pockets or bottom of my purse. Who I'm supposed to meet when and where just disappears.

Out of sight, out of mind is the term.

I'm more of a visual person (is that a right brain or a left brain thing?), and that shows up in my writing. Scenes are the least complicated for me to write. I enjoy creating the details that permit my readers to visualize where the characters are and what they are seeing. But I tend to keep my details sparse and incorporated into the flow of the scene's action. I don't tell the reader the office is small and crowded. I like to let my character do that by having her desk chair bump against the wall when she stands up and then walks the five or so steps it takes to open the door for a client to enter her office. This lets the reader imagine the scene as well.

Dealing with personal introspection/emotions/internal dialogue is more difficult for me since I "see" the action in my stories as movies in my head. Narrative without dialogue doesn't exist in movies unless there's a voice-over, so I tend to use very little. I've been told and I do understand I need more narrative in my novels, so I'm working on expanding my use of internal dialogue. I'm sure it'll be sparse, but I'm also sure it will bring more depth and realism to my characters.

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